summary judgment

noun

: judgment that may be granted upon a party's motion when the pleadings, discovery, and any affidavits show that there is no issue of material fact and that the party is entitled to judgment in its favor as a matter of law

Examples of summary judgment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The government then moved for summary judgment, which the district court granted in September 2020. Robert Goulder, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024 The company denies the allegations and has filed a motion for summary judgment. Jason Ma, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2024 Reuters notes that defendants notified of summary judgments like this one can apply for a regular trial within seven days in order to challenge the decision. Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2024 The publishers claimed mass, willful copyright infringement and won a summary judgment in the lower courts last March. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for summary judgment 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'summary judgment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of summary judgment was in 1798

Dictionary Entries Near summary judgment

Cite this Entry

“Summary judgment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/summary%20judgment. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Legal Definition

summary judgment

see judgment sense 1a

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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